He Ruzhang

He Ruzhang

He Ruzhang

ZIE (1838-1891), born in huliao shuangkeng village, Dapu County, Chaozhou Prefecture, Guangdong Province (now Dapu County, Meizhou City), was an outstanding diplomat in the early period of China and the founder of formal diplomatic relations between China and Japan. He was the first minister to Japan. The mission headed by he Ruzhang stayed in Japan for more than four years. They paid close attention to the people's feelings, politics and customs of Japan, made an in-depth study of Japan's Meiji Restoration, and advocated to accommodate western scientific ideas in order to transform Chinese traditional culture and change feudal autocracy. They were eager to become a powerful country. The colorful chapter they wrote for promoting the cultural exchanges between China and Japan and the friendship between the two peoples is still praised by the world one hundred years later. Later, he Ruzhang was hired by Zhang Zhidong, governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, as the head of Hanshan Academy in Chaozhou, and made outstanding contributions to the cultural and educational undertakings in Chaoshan area in modern times.

In January 2014, he Ruzhang's former residence was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Meizhou city.

Personal resume

He Ruzhang, the forerunner of Chaozhou Prefecture and Hakka, together with Qiu Fengjia, Huang Zunxian and Ding Richang, is known as "Mr. Lingdong four". He was smart and eager to learn. When he was young, he dropped out of school because of his poor family situation, herding cattle and studying at the same time. Later, with his Uncle Chen Fu, a famous hostel in Tai Po County, he went to school and made great progress in his studies. Xianfeng eleven years (1861) Zhongju person, Tongzhi four years (1865) as the five rank magistrate. Three years later, he won the imperial examination. He was selected into the Imperial Academy and was later appointed as editor of the Academy. He was sent to Japan in 1876, the first Chinese Minister to Japan. During his stay in Japan, he fought for justice and power for his country. According to the treaty, he set up three consulates in Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki. He fulfilled his arduous diplomatic mission and lived up to the expectations of the Chinese people. He was known as "he Ruzhang who lived up to his mission". During his diplomatic mission to Japan, he Ruzhang wrote a brief account of his mission to the East. He advocated following the Meiji Restoration to seek a powerful country, and inspired, supported and encouraged his assistant Huang Zunxian to devote himself to the analysis and study of Japan's national conditions.

In June of the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, after returning to China, he served as a lecturer and an apprentice. In September of 1999, he was appointed as the Minister of shipping administration of Fujian Province, in charge of Mawei shipyard, and also run the front and back schools.

During the period of Mawei shipyard, French warships invaded Majiang. For example, Zhang diezou advised the Qing government to "concentrate forces" and "strike first". But the court blindly sought peace, resulting in a sudden attack by French warships. The Qing army was defeated and the Majiang shipyard was destroyed. Cixi and the rulers of the Qing Dynasty, in order to cover up their responsibility for the failure of their non resistance policy, planned to question Zhang Peilun, the Council's chief executive, and he Ruzhang, the Minister of shipping. They once sent Zuo Zongtang as an imperial envoy to "order the investigation of the members who were involved in the Majiang crash". After careful investigation, Zuo Zongtang wrote a memorial to the Qing Government: "why is Zhang not responsible for unifying the army and guarding the land?" since he has been dismissed from his post, can he ask for mercy and excuse me? " However, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty did not care about it. As a result, they demoted Zhang Peilun, Minister of he Ruzhang, who attended the meeting to handle Fujian's maritime affairs, to guard Zhangjiakou military platform for three years.

During the period of garrison, he Ruzhang wrote 36 volumes of Guanzi Jieyi. After returning from the army, Li Hanzhang, the governor of Guangdong Province, asked him to preside over Hanshan's lecture. In Hanshan, he appreciated Xie Xixun, Chen zongluo, Li Xiangxi and other famous figures in literature and art. In August of 1891, he died of beriberi due to his disobedience to the soil and water during his exile in Hanshan Academy at the age of 54. His friend Deng Chengxiu, the censor in Guangxu years, sent him a pair of elegiac couplets: "if you strangle Ma Jiang for forty years, you will not be reduced to the land. It is difficult to understand the merits and demerits. When you die, you should rely on the opinions of the public. When you remember Yanjing, you will die, and you will know where to hang your ghost."

Life of the characters

He Ruzhang was elected in the 11th year of Xianfeng (1861) and the 7th year of tongzhi (1868). He Ruzhang was selected as a scholar and was appointed editor of Hanlin academy after he left the library.

At that time, after the second Opium War, there were some people in the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty who advocated learning and making use of western advanced military and science and technology to maintain the rule of the Qing Dynasty. In history, they were called Westernization Group. Among them, Yi Xin, Wen Xiang, Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang and Zhang Zhidong were the representatives.

In his early years, he Ruzhang liked to learn Tongcheng ancient prose. Later, he felt that learning ancient prose could not meet the needs of the changing times. Instead, he concentrated on current affairs, often traveled between Tianjin and Shanghai, talked with Chinese and foreign people, and asked missionaries about western national conditions and government affairs. After entering the Hanlin academy, he became more attentive to foreign affairs and more knowledgeable. He became a leader in westernization and was appreciated by Li Hongzhang. Li Hongzhang once commented: "there are also those who are familiar with westernization in the Imperial Academy."

In 1877, he Ruzhang was recommended by Li Hongzhang and promoted to the Imperial Academy. He was appointed Minister of Japan and became the first Chinese Minister in Japan at the age of 39.

He Ruzhang's youth was just after the Opium War. At that time, all the powers wanted to invade China. Therefore, they often use the excuse to stir up trouble and find an excuse for aggression. At this time, most of the ordinary scholars focused on personal fame and wealth, and indulged in the imperial examination and examination. At that time, some patriotic bureaucrats began to advocate "Westernization", aiming at "learning from foreigners and controlling foreigners". Although he Ruzhang studied ancient Chinese prose, he thought that the state affairs were critical and it was urgent to set up "foreign affairs". He often contacts with Chinese and foreign people to explore the way to govern the world. Li Hongzhang, an important minister, appreciated he Ruzhang's mastery of foreign affairs, so he and Shen Guifen, the Privy minister, tried their best to recommend he Ruzhang to Japan.

During his stay in Japan, he Ruzhang was very concerned about the interests of the overseas Chinese living in Japan, and actively asked for more consuls. At the beginning, Japan did not agree, so he made every effort according to public international law, and finally obtained the right to set up consulates in Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki. Since then, more and more overseas Chinese in Japan have the support of their own government. They have changed their status of being discriminated against and humiliated in the past. They are grateful.

After the Meiji Restoration, Japan tried its best to prevent Ryukyu from paying tribute to China in an attempt to annex Ryukyu. However, at that time, Japan's national strength was still weak and did not dare to challenge Ryukyu openly. He Ruzhang deeply analyzed the situation and decided to argue with Japan. In 1878, he wrote to Li Hongzhang many times: "if we stop paying tribute, we will destroy Ryukyu. When Ryukyu is destroyed, we will go to Korea If you listen to it, why do you want to be a country? If you refuse it, it's a dispute over Ryukyu, but you can't avoid a border dispute When he was a strong Japanese, he used ships and guns to harass our border areas. Between Taiwan and Pengzhou, he would seek peace overnight. It's for Taiwan's sake. Today's problems are still alleviated. If we abandon them today, the problems will be deeper. " However, Li Hongzhang, who betrayed his country to seek security, accused him of "paying tribute to Ryukyu is not of great benefit. If we use force to fight for the tribute of a small country, it is not only too busy, but also meaningless." He also denounced him as "a good example of military prosperity". Shen Guifen of the General Administration of the Qing Dynasty also asked his close friends to advise each other in private letters: "be rich and noble, and be careful not to do too much." However, he Ruzhang, who had a strong sense of patriotism and upright character, did not listen to Li Hongzhang's opinions and still argued for his own reasons, so that Li Hongzhang could not be transferred back to China. From then on, Ryukyu was occupied by Japan and changed to Okinawa. He Ruzhang was able to go to Japan thanks to Li Hongzhang's recommendation. However, when it comes to the treatment of Ryukyu, he Ruzhang did not ingratiate himself because of his mentor. It can be seen that he Ruzhang acted as a man.

He Ruzhang was deeply saddened by the fact that the tariff could not be controlled at that time, foreign goods were abundant, and a large amount of gold and silver flowed out, which made the country weaker and weaker. He told the imperial court that "if you don't stop it, it will become a river. If you do not stop it, it will become a river. If you do not stop it, it will become a very poor and harmful river. If you are forced by your strong neighbors, you will have no money to raise and no soldiers to train He told the Qing court that Japan wanted to seize China's assets to compensate for the loss of trade with Western European powers. Japanese goods are all owned by China. The two countries are adjacent to each other. The transportation distance is short and the cost is low. If they are allowed to share the preferential treatment of low tariffs and trade in the mainland with Western European countries, a large number of Japanese goods are bound to be dumped. The trade between China and Japan has already exceeded two million taels. If they are allowed to export directly to the mainland, the trade will increase to more than ten million taels. He Ruzhang was very anxious about this serious situation, so he asked that Japan should not be allowed to do business in the mainland of China, and the imperial court finally accepted his opinion.

When he Ruzhang was ambassador to Japan, he saw that Japan and Russia were coveting our neighbor Korea, so he put forward three strategies to strengthen the control of Korea. When there was a great famine in Shanxi Province, millions of residents were in dire straits. Seeing this situation, he Ruzhang was so anxious that he wrote to Li Hongzhang, asking him to move more than 100000 hungry people to the three eastern provinces to enrich the border defense. He Ruzhang was deeply impressed by the political and economic changes after the Meiji Restoration. He believed that in order to make China rich and powerful, we must follow the example of Japan's reform. Only in this way can we resist the great powers. He not only strongly recommended his fellow countryman Huang Zunxian to work in Japan, but also actively encouraged him to write the annals of Japan. This book had a great influence on the reform movement of 1898 by Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao.

He Ruzhang's four-year mission to Japan revealed the aggressive nature of the Japanese ruling class, while he insisted on good neighborliness and friendship to the Japanese people. He was highly praised by famous Japanese officials and scholars. They often talked with him in poems, in writing, or asked him to write banners and fans as treasures. He fought for justice for the motherland, resisted power, regardless of personal honor and disgrace, but also adhered to good neighborly friendship and lived up to the expectations of the country. He Ruzhang was an outstanding diplomat among several diplomatic envoys stationed abroad in the late Qing Dynasty. During his stay in Japan, he lived in a foreign country and was always very concerned about what happened to his motherland. When outsiders acted against his motherland, he always wrote to express his views. In response to Japan's ambition to occupy Ryukyu, he wrote that "Ryukyu was destroyed, and Korea was involved." More than ten years later,

Chinese PinYin : He Ru Zhang